Bass Fishing 3/13/2019 2:11:00 PM Jordan Alves

Day 1 at GEICO Bassmaster Classic: Learning a little behind the scenes with Nick Ratliff

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Whether you're fishing in your 28^thGEICO Bassmaster Classic like arguably the most famous angler in the world, Kevin Van Dam, or competing in your first like Campbellsville's rookie angler Nick Ratliff, the anticipation, excitement and butterflies are starting to tick at a fast pace.

That excitement may be high for Ratliff but he sure hasn't showed it and I don't think fishing on the big stage has really hit him….. yet.

This week, I, Jordan Alves, have been fortunate to travel down to Knoxville, Tennessee to cover my first Bassmaster Classic. Along with athletics photographer Brett Pierce, he and I will capture the behind the scenes memories and highlights that will last a lifetime. Check out the championship central page above for all features, videos and photo galleries from B.A.S.S. and the CU Sports Information Department.

Pierce and I arrived at our residence for the week – the Hampton Inn Knoxville - at 2:30 a.m. ET after traveling with Lady Tiger Softball on Tuesday at Brescia University in Owensboro. Let me tell ya, the wake-up call at 5 a.m. wasn't music to my ears. I'll be sure to sleep good tonight.

Ratliff joined the 51 other anglers in The Classic field for their final official practice round on Wednesday afternoon on the Tennessee River. The 52 boats, plus some 15 media boats hauling around ESPN cameras and photographers, launched this morning around 6:30 a.m. ET and had their final run-down like they'll see on competition day just off the banks of Calhoun's on the River – which is my dinner selection tonight.

But once I backed Ratliff's brand-new Toyota Tundra rig with a Nitro Z20 on the back into the Tennessee River this morning, he noticed a vibration within the motor. Ratliff called the B.A.S.S. representatives and the first on the scene was High School and College Director Hank Weldon – who has been there through it all with Ratliff's young fishing career.

So instead of idling down the river with the other 51 anglers to Calhoun's for take-off, Ratliff's boat was pulled from the water for further investigative work. After about 25 minutes of troubleshooting and taking the motor a part, the fine folks at Mercury Marine installed a new lower end and we were back in the water before launch at 7:40 a.m. ET.

Did you know B.A.S.S. has every boat and engine dealer on site all week? From what Hank told me at the dock this morning, what would normally take about a month at a normal dealer took them about 25 minutes this morning. That's the red carpet treatment these anglers are getting this week. Oh, did I mention it was free?

I learned a lot by riding with Ratliff on Wednesday. Instead of me normally being in a media boat about 20 yards away, B.A.S.S. has allowed me to be the Marshall in Ratliff's boat while also shooting video highlights (which will be posted each day).

Ratliff didn't shy away from his game plan on the Tennessee River this morning. He hit on how the water temperature and muddiness throughout the water has affected his bite. He even mentioned that his first practice was the best so far – which was strange to him since that was right after the big cold front and a lot of rain came through last weekend.

The water temperature was in the high 40s to start the week and it creeped to above 54 degrees today. Another tid-bit of information for those recreational anglers like myself who just go out and like to catch crappie for days at Green River, the fish are currently at pre-spawning stages (pre-reproducing) and prime water temperature for the fish to be biting during spawning is north of 60 degrees. I highly doubt we see that on the Tennessee River this week.

Second thing I learned, but was actually the first, is that I didn't prepare for 40-degree weather and running down the lake at 60MPH early in the morning. Ratliff told me we would run about 30-40 miles out of Knoxville and work our way back to Volunteer Landing throughout the day, but I didn't expect to be frozen once arriving at our location to start fishing. A trip to Bass Pro Shops is going to be in the works for me after I couldn't move my mouth this morning after the 40-minute ride.

Lastly, I remember as a kid growing up that I had one rod and reel. I would venture to Green River or Taylorsville Lake with my grandparents and we'd catch our limit. Then this morning, I saw Ratliff bring out 12 different rods, all with a different lure, and I was amazed. The recreational angler just doesn't understand. The amounts of preparation that goes into packing tackle boxes, painting crank baits, picking the right spinner bait, etc. is jaw dropping. Having a plan and executing that plan this week will be crucial. As a kid, I thought getting the worms and minnows were all I'd ever need but these guys are professionals and Nick Ratliff has fit in nicely.

I have a few more tidbits of information I learned today during practice that I am going to hold on to so I can share during the rest of the week. To give some hints, we'll talk about the mental side of fishing and the academic pursuit for the Campbellsville University senior Nick Ratliff who is graduating in May.

Lastly, even though I'm on about 2.5 hours of sleep, it's been nice to get away from my regular schedule of covering the other 29 athletic programs at Campbellsville University and learn a little from the College Classic Bracket Champ. I'm sure this is an experience Ratliff will never forget but it will also be up there in my professional media career. It's actually the first professional circuit I will cover – which is a feat in itself for me. But do you want to know the only way to top it all? A Sunday weigh-in at University of Tennessee's Thompson Boling Arena with Ratliff holding a $300,000 check saying 2019 GEICO Bassmaster Classic Champion.

#WeAreCU

In addition to coverage of the 2019 GEICO Bassmaster Classic, CU Sports Information Director Jordan Alves and athletics photographer Brett Pierce will keep fans updated with periodic behind-the-scenes feature stories on www.campbellsvilletigers.com and photo galleries on Facebook at Campbellsville Tigers. You can also follow the Tigers on Twitter at @CvilleTigers.

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Players Mentioned

Nick Ratliff: Senior; Vine Grove, Ky.

Players Mentioned

Nick Ratliff
: Senior; Vine Grove, Ky.